Battling the opioid epidemic with $45 million settlement

In 2022, St. Louis County released its new Substance Use Action Plan, a comprehensive, broad-based strategy to combat substance use over the next two years and beyond. The plan was created over several months with the help of trusted community partners. Substance use continues to be a major public health crisis and the COVID-19 pandemic contributed to an increase in overdoses and deaths.

There were 343 opioid-related deaths in St. Louis County in 2021, tying 2020 for a record number of deaths. Overdose deaths from all substances reached 490 in 2021, up from 455 the previous year. And fentanyl, which is 50 times more potent than heroin, was a factor in a majority of those deaths.

This plan comes as St. Louis County will receive $45 million from a legal settlement with opioid manufacturers. Getting these funds is a major moment in the opioid battle. In December, the County received its first installment from this settlement, $4.8 million. The money was deposited into the Opioid Remediation Fund, established to support the treatment of substance use or mental health conditions through evidence-based programs and strategies.

“With these settlement funds, we have the opportunity to amplify and support treatment and prevention programs and save more lives from overdoses,” County Executive Dr. Sam Page said. “The most successful approach is a regional approach where we can work together, pool our resources, align our priorities, and reverse the disturbing trend.”

In 2022, 1,500 Narcan kits were distributed by the Department of Public Health. Other efforts to combat the opioid epidemic include providing Narcan free of charge to detainees released from the St. Louis County Justice Center thanks to a grant from the U.S. Department of Justice. Making Narcan available to a population often struggling with narcotics is another important step to saving lives. The Department of Public Health’s Corrections Medicine team administered more than 1,800 doses of Narcan to patients this year at the Justice Center.

In September, the People’s Family of Corporations donated 10 “NaloxBoxes” for use in the St. Louis County Court Building.

The Substance Use Action Plan came with input from nearly 40 partners, including the City of St. Louis Health Department. The plan has five key goals:

• Raise awareness about substance use, overdoses, and how our community is affected by them.

• Prevent opioid use disorder and other substance use disorders.

• Increase the availability of Narcan to rescue people during an overdose.

• Increase the number of people connected to treatment with a focus on high-risk populations.

• Enable people in recovery to access recovery services and supports that increase quality of life.